


The Wrath of Heaven

by kimchiwrites



Series: Tale of the Herald [1]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-31
Updated: 2015-11-18
Packaged: 2018-04-18 10:27:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4702661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimchiwrites/pseuds/kimchiwrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>Judien woke up with a gasp as his left hand flared and crackled with a brilliant green light. Pain shot up his arm like an arrow, so intense it rendered him temporarily mute. Around him, he heard the clink of metal as armor shifted. Squinting past the pain, he noticed the glint of metal edges surrounding him like a deadly crown of thorns. Swords?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>A record of the journey of the Inquisitor, from the moment of his incarceration onward.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning

Judien woke up with a gasp as his left hand flared and crackled with a brilliant green light. Pain shot up his arm like an arrow, so intense it rendered him temporarily mute. Around him, he heard the clink of metal as armor shifted. Squinting past the pain, he noticed the glint of metal edges surrounding him like a deadly crown of thorns. Swords? He couldn't say. Suddenly, the doors located directly in front of him opened with a loud creak. His eyes focused slowly as two blurry figures entered with purpose through the wooden door. He blinked once, twice, and suddenly he could see the scowling face of the taller figure with startling clarity. Intense brown eyes bored into his own from a sharply angular face. A scar curved over one cheek, emphasizing the deep frown on the woman's face. She began to walk around him, eyes never leaving his face as she spoke.

"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now. The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead... except for you."

"Dead?" Judien gasped, "How can that--no, that's impossible! What happened? Where is my sister? My brother?"

"Don't play coy with me." The scarred woman snarled. She grabbed Judien's wrist roughly and shook it. Green light flared as if reaction to the woman's aggression, shooting small bolts of light into the room. The woman's brown eyes watched the magic play around on his palm before she spoke. 

"Explain _this._ "

Judien stared in bewildered confusion at his left palm. "I... I can't."

f

"What do you mean you _can't_?" The woman demanded, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "It is clearly magical in origin, and yet, you are no mage."

"I swear on Andraste, I don't have any knowledge of what this, this _thing_ is!" Judien pleaded, desperation in his eyes. "And what do you mean everyone is dead? My siblings were there with me at the Conclave, does that mean--"

The woman leapt forward, incensed. "You're lying!"

"Cassandra!" The second figure leapt out of the shadows to restrain the woman. Red hair glinted gold in the torchlight as a slight figure looked into Cassandra's eyes. "We need him, Cassandra."

Judien turned to her, "Please, I have to... were there no survivors? At all?"

The red-headed woman looked at him calculatingly. "... a few, but only those who were far enough away to survive." She paused and walked forward, stopping just in front of the chains that held him bolted to the ground. "Do you remember what happened? How this began?"

Judien frowned, struggling to recall. Faint wisps of memory floated through his mind: green light, screams, a woman, and then, nothingness. "I... I remember running. _Things_ were chasing me, and then... a woman?"

Cassandra and the red-headed woman glanced at each other before the red-headed woman asked, "A woman?"

A pounding headache was building in the space behind his eyes. Judien winced, "I... She reached out to me, but then..." Words failed him as the pain grew, stealing the breath from his lungs. He collapsed forward onto his hands, pressing his forehead to the cold stone as he waited for the headache to recede. Panting softly, Judien heard the two women stop. He felt their eyes watch him before armored feet turned towards feet clad in soft leather boots.

"Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take him to the rift."

Judien raised his head to see the woman--Leliana--nod as she walked out of the room. Around him the soldiers sheathed their swords and stood at attention as Cassandra knelt before him. Peering at her through his brown fringe, he watched as she briskly unlocked the manacles holding him captive before expertly binding his wrists together in a complex knot that would give even his agile fingers a moment's pause. He risked a glance into her brown eyes and saw them staring back at him impassively.

"What _did_ happen?" he chanced, uncertain if she would even deign to respond. His situation was only finally registering past the muggy haze of his still unclear mind. He was a prisoner, that much was obvious, as the rope cut into his wrists. He was a suspect, he gleaned, for the destruction of the Conclave, where none but he and those lucky few who were far enough away survived. The mark on his hand was magic in origin, yet of an unknown make and kind, otherwise they would probably have understood that his intentions were completely benign and that the mark was given to him... on accident? Judien could not say. His memories still were lost to the distant corners of his mind.

Cassandra straightened, voice softening at the clear confusion and worry in Judien's eyes. Her expression remained guarded, however. She was no fool, and would not be taken in by a vulnerable expression."It will be easier to show you." Cassandra pulled him up by the forearm before leading him past the opened wooden doors and into the Chantry proper. The Chantry brothers and sisters watched him with wary eyes as he walked past them, whispering behind their hands. Judien ignored their suspicions and words. A Trevelyan did not bow under thinly veiled insults and swears.

A guard opened the heavy Chantry doors and for the first time in however many days it had been since his incarceration, Judien stepped outside.

Judien blinked rapidly, eyes watering from the cold light reflected off the snow as his sight adjusted to the outdoors. He was in some sort of ramshackle town in the mountains, then. It made sense, given the location of the Conclave at the Temple of Sacred Ashes. People milled about on their business, grim looks on their faces as they walked with purpose to their chosen destinations. Others stood in groups, huddled together for comfort, tears tracks in the dirt on their faces. Cassandra paused a few feet from the Chantry doors, staring at the sky. Judien followed her gaze up and stumbled in shock, mouth falling open in his horror.

The sky had been torn open, a gaping green wound bleeding miasmic fog all over Thedas.

Judien's palm itched.

"We call it the Breach," Cassandra began, not looking at him. Her face was grim, lips pressed into a thin line as she watched the tear in the sky writhe and grow. "It's a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour." She turned, an inscrutable expression on her face. "It's not the only such rift. Just the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the Conclave."

"An explosion?" Judien started, eyes wide. "An explosion can do that?" _The Conclave was destroyed with an explosion? Was it the work of an apostate, like in Kirkwall...?_

"This one did," said Cassandra as she walked forward, eyebrows drawn together. "Unless we act, the Breach may grow until it swallows the world."

With a thunderous crackle, the Breach pulsated with power. Judien cried out in pain, falling to his knees as his left hand flared with green magic. He hunched over, clenching his hand in a fist in a vain attempt to push past the pain. Cassandra fell to one knee beside him, her hands outstretched as if to ward the magic away. She pointed to the sky and spoke.

"Each time the Breach expands, your mark spreads... and it _is_ killing you." Cassandra snapped her fingers in front of his face to grab his attention. Judien looked up, gritting his teeth as jolts of magical energy shocked straight into his head. "It may be the key to stopping this, but there isn't much time."

"Isn't much time... Time for what? To save me, or to close the Breach?" Judien managed, words forced through clenched teeth. Cassandra glanced down at the magic still sparking from his palm, a curious look in her eyes before she looked back up at Judien. "I suspect the answer to both questions is the same."

Judien exhaled heavily, the tension leaving his body as he felt the pain recede into an easily manageable throb. His palm was deceptively normal, and he flexed his hand once before pressing his lips together and addressing Cassandra.

"You say it _may_ be the key... but how? How can this," he said, lifting his hands, "fix _that?_ " 

"The magic that comes from your palm is similar to the traces we found at the site of the explosion. Whether or not it's possible that your mark can close the Breach is something that we will discover shortly. However, we must try." Cassandra replied. "It is our only chance. And yours." She added as an afterthought.

Judien looked at Cassandra incredulously. The sweat that broke out on his brow during the Breach flare had cooled by now, but his face was still pale from exertion. Lines of pain were etched into his face, and his left hand still throbbed at irregular intervals. All this, and she _still_ thought that he was guilty? "You still think I did this? To _myself?_ "

"Not intentionally," Cassandra replied without pause, unflappable in the face of his accusation. "Something clearly went wrong."

"And if I'm not responsible?" demanded Judien, finally catching his breath.

"Someone is," Cassandra said coldly, "and you are our only suspect. You wish to prove your innocence? This is the only way."

Judien closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. There was too much going on, too much to take in, and he still had no idea where his brother and sister were. Unbidden, his father's strong, confident voice from a memory long past drifted to the forefront of his mind, offering counsel.

_Remember, Judien. In the face of overwhelming odds, always prioritize. What do you need to do first? Figure that out, do it, and go from there. Nothing is impossible, my son. Only improbable. A Trevelyan always knows how to rise above the odds and come out on top. So tell me, what do you need to do?_

Judien opened his eyes. _First, fix the sky. Then, if I'm still alive, find Jayen and Aximus. Everything else is irrelevant._ He looked up into Cassandra's expectant eyes and gave a curt nod. "I understand."

She looked surprised, words faltering. "Then..."

His expression became resolute. "I'll do what I can. Whatever it takes."

Cassandra paused for a short moment before heaving Judien to his feet. Glancing at him in approval, she gently pushed him onto the long trek towards the Breach. She led him through the crowds of people, most of them glaring at him with black hatred. Cassandra noted their stares and murmured to Judien in an aside. "They have decided your guilt. They need it."

A woman spat at his feet in disgust, and it was only the fact of his training that allowed him to gracefully sidestep the flying spittle in time. His face remained impassive and impenetrable, a courtier's carefully constructed mask. Cassandra didn't seem to notice.

"The people of Haven mourn our Most Holy, Divine Justinia, head of the Chantry. The Conclave was hers," Cassandra continued. Judien didn't know why she bothered, considering he was _at_ the Conclave, but remained silent. A Trevelyan knew when to speak, and when to keep their words behind their teeth. "It was a chance for peace between mages and templars. She brough their leaders together. Now, they are dead."

The two approached the wooden gate that led onto the bridge. A guard nodded to Cassandra as she passed, but completely ignored Judien. He preferred this guard's careful indifference to the others' more open hostility. "We lash out like the sky, but we must think beyond ourselves. As she did. Until the Breach is sealed..."

Cassandra paused right in front of him, drawing a knife behind her back. They looked at each other for a long moment. Judien was unafraid. He knew that Cassandra needed him. This attempt at intimidation was a half-hearted one at best. The real test of his character was back there, in front of the Chantry doors. Cassandra's lips curled into an approving smirk.

"There will be a trial. I can promise no more. Come, it is not far."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was never satisfied with how scripted Dragon Age: Inquisition felt, so... here's my take! :)


	2. The Apostate and the Storyteller

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Good to know!" The dwarf cut in, a smile on his face as he adjusted his greaves. "Here I thought we'd be ass-deep in demons forever." He bowed slightly at the waist. "Varric Tethras: rogue, storyteller, and occasionally unwelcome tagalong." He ended with a wink at Cassandra, who scowled darkly at him in response.
> 
> Judien's lips quirked up. He always did appreciate the witty ones.

Judien shook his hands to get the blood flowing in them again as Cassandra tossed the ropes over the side of the bridge. Rolling his shoulders, he trailed after Cassandra as she began walking towards the other end of the bridge.

"Your mark must be tested on something smaller than the Breach." Judien could see the logic in that. If his mark couldn't fix a rift smaller than the behemoth in the sky, what use would there be to even try? He refused to think about what would happen to him should his usefulness suddenly run out. _Prioritize, Judien. Don't think about things that won't help you in the long run._ Cassandra called out to the sentries posted by the gate.

"Open the gate! We are heading into the valley."

The guards pushed the gates open without comment as Cassandra took the trail up the mountain at a trot. They passed a group of breathless and panicked civilians running for shelter. The burning and broken ruins of carts, barrels, and boxes littered the snow like jagged skeletons of long-dead beasts. Wordlessly, Judien took in the sights as jets of green fire and magic fell like boulder-sized hailstones from the sky. One landed with an explosive crash, sending snow and rubble spraying into the air. It was close enough to make the hair on the back of Judien's neck rise. He shuddered.

As Cassandra and Judien cleared the rise and jogged on level ground, the Breach flared again with power. Judien cried out in pain, clutching desperately at his wrist as he fell heavily onto his knees. Gritting his teeth, he squeezed his eyes shut and attempted to fall into the breathing exercises his sister Axipa taught him to control pain. He rocked back and forth, breathing at regular intervals as he heard footsteps crunching in the snow around him. He opened his eyes just a slit as Cassandra silently helped him back onto his feet. She placed her hands onto his shoulders in reassurance, and Judien felt mildly comforted.

"The pulses are coming faster now." Cassandra pat him on the shoulder once before turning and continuing up the path. Judien exhaled roughly, shaking his left hand as phantom pains wracked it. He walked behind Cassandra as green fire screamed through the air to crash into the snow with a hiss and a shudder. Judien overtook Cassandra as they neared the second bridge's gates, his eagerness to get his task over and done with rejuvenating him. "The larger the Breach grows, the more rifts appear, the more demons we face."

A question that had been burning in his mind slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it. "How _did_ I survive the blast?"

He heard Cassandra's footsteps falter, and he turned to look at her in response. She was carefully not looking at him, inspecting the snow that had crusted into ice on the tip of her boots. "They said you... stepped out of a rift, then fell unconscious. They say a woman was in the rift behind you. No one knows who she was."

Judien continued walking, a speculative look in his eyes. _A woman?_ He wondered. _So I was in the Fade? Physically? And... somehow still alive? What in Andraste's name..._ Cassandra followed after a moment, seeming to be deep in thought as well. They passed by the gates, the guards hailing Cassandra as she walked by them. She raised a hand in greeting, a smile gracing her face. She caught up to Judien, walking next to him as they neared the middle of the bridge. "Everything farther in the valley was laid waste, including the Temple of Sacred Ashes. I suppose you'll see soon enou--"

 _CRASH!_ A giant comet of green fire exploded into thousands of crystal shards, tearing through the bridge like wet paper. Judien had no time to react before the stone beneath his feet crumbled into the ice far below, sending him and Cassandra into freefall. He shouted in shock and a primal sort of fear as he desperately searched for purchase that was no longer there. He landed with a pained grunt as he landed on a boulder that was all angles, knocking the breath out of him. He lay there in breathless agony as his lungs seized. Gasping, he curled up into a ball on the cold ice as oxygen slowly filtered back into his lungs.

He managed a glance to the side to see Cassandra slowly pushing herself upright, limbs stiff as she shook her head to clear it of snow. His breathing steadied, and he found the strength to push himself onto his feet as another comet tore through the air and crashed into the thick ice. Panting, he watched in a sort of fascinated horror as green crystals jut out from the ice where the comet impacted, a shade bursting forth from the rippling fabric of the Veil.

"Stay behind me!" Cassandra shouted as she drew her sword. Roaring her rage, she leapt into battle, her shield a shining beacon in the sunlight. Judien backed off, knowing that as weaponless as he was, he was no match for a shade. Suddenly, he noticed the bubbling green miasma emanating from the ice below his feet. His eyes glanced to the side, and he saw a conveniently placed bow and quiver leaning against an overturned box of produce. Choosing not to look a gift horse in the mouth, he jumped back, his boots crunching the frozen snow underfoot as another shade burst into being. He dived for the bow and arrows, slinging the quiver behind his back and stringing the bow in one smooth motion as the shade hissed threateningly at him. But Judien was unafraid. His eldest sister was a templar, and had told him about the demons that could and did regularly infest Thedas. He knew how to dispatch them.

He calmly notched an arrow and drew, the familiar burn of his shoulder muscles a comfort as he aimed the sharp metal point directly at the shade's head. Green eyes narrowed, and he smiled for the first time since he had woken up that morning.

The arrow flew true, directly into the shade's screaming mouth as it pierced through desiccated flesh. The shade howled in rage and pain as it disintegrated into miasma. The bubbling mass from whence it came dissipated, leaving nothing to note that it had ever been there save the slight oily feeling of the air. Judien sighed in relief when he noted Cassandra walking towards him, shade residue dripping off of her sword. "It's over."

Cassandra scowled, pointing her sword directly at Judien's chest. "Drop your weapons, _now_."

Judien frowned at her sudden sharpness, but understood. He still remained an unknown variable in all of this, and she was simply being cautious. Maker knows he would have done the same, albeit with less aggression. "All right," he said carefully, raising his hands. "Have it your way." He gently lowered the bow to the ground and backed away, waiting for Cassandra to react. Cassandra regarded him, eyes narrowing as she considered his instant compliance.

"Wait," she sighed, mouth twisting wryly as she sheathed her sword. "I cannot protect you, and I cannot expect you to be defenseless." She turned away as Judien knelt, picking up the longbow and slinging it behind his back. They began walking again before she stopped and said quietly, "I should remember you came willingly."

Judien said nothing, but nodded in acquiescence. Cassandra rummaged in the pack belted around her waist before tossing two glass bottles filled with a red liquid at him. Judien caught both and held them up to the sun to inspect them. _Healing potions?_

"Take these potions. Maker knows what we will face." Cassandra began briskly jogging up the pebbled trail, Judien following swiftly after as he pocketed the potions. He saw them for what they were, a peace offering and an apology for words harshly spoken. He suddenly realized how quiet and desolate it was. The soldiers on the bridge--Maker keep them--had probably all died in the blast, but where were all the rest?

"Where are all your soldiers?" Judien asked, gently kicking aside a stray branch before it could trip him. Cassandra replied without missing a beat, "At the forward camp, or fighting. We are on our own, for now."

"Fantastic." Judien muttered as they climbed the icy path. He stopped beside Cassandra at the sight in front of them. Before them, a solitary body lay. A young man, perhaps around Judien's age, his body already cold and stiff with death. Soberly, Judien knelt down and turned the body over. The man's eyes were closed, long blonde hair framing his face like a halo. Cassandra whispered a prayer commending his soul to the Maker. Judien closed his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Be at peace."

The two walked forward solemnly, eyes wandering over the bodies that littered the path. Judien's palm itched, and he turned instinctively to the left. He grabbed Cassandra's arm and hissed, "Shades!"

Cassandra tensed, muscles hard under his arm as she quietly drew her sword. "If we can flank them..."

"Understood." Judien slipped into a stealthy crouch as he crept by on silent feet. He made his way onto a ridge behind the shades as Cassandra roared a battle cry to attract their attention. Judien steadied himself, lining up his shot as he let the arrow fly. It pierced all of the shades at once, skewering them in what could have passed for a person's chest. They shrieked, dissipating into mist. Cassandra nodded, and they smiled at each other before remembering themselves. Cassandra coughed and sheathed her sword. "We'd best be moving."

A few more skirmishes later, and they were on their way climbing up a steep set of stone steps. Cassandra cried out to him as they approached the top. "We're getting close to the rift! You can hear the fighting."

"Who's fighting?" He called back, concentrating on not slipping on the treacherously slick stone.

"You'll see soon, we must help them!"

Judien cleared the top of the stairs and stopped short, almost causing Cassandra to stumble into him. He stared at the floating mass of crystals as they ground against each other, growing and shrinking and fracturing as the Veil warped and tore around it. Demons writhed , flailing their arms and talons as they tore into soldiers with wild abandon. Magic sizzled in the air as an elven apostate shocked the shades with arcs of lightning that bounced and reflected off of them. A dwarf stood on high ground, sniping the shades where they stood and providing the soldiers with cover fire whenever a shade grew too close. Cassandra was already on the move, weapons drawn and tearing into the nearest enemy with ferocity unmatched.

Judien drew three arrows at once and let them fly, each arrow hitting its mark and sinking deeply into rotting flesh. He leapt up onto the crumbling remains of a stone wall and began firing into the fray, every arrow landing with a dull 'thwak' into thick, leathery hides. Cassandra shouted, tearing into the final shade with her sword like a hot knife through butter. Panting, she watched as it faded away into the ether before turning around and inspecting the state of the troops. Judien took the time to jump down from his perch and approach the two non-humans, curiosity shining in his eyes. The elf noticed him, eyes widening, and before Judien could so much as get a single word out, the elf's hand darted out to grab his wrist, lifting it like a torch towards the pulsating rift.

"Quickly!" The elf cried, a serious look in his eyes. "Before more come through!"

"What--argh!" Judien cried out, more in shock than in pain as his mark flared to life. An undulating stream of pale green fire tethered him to the rift, slowly drawing it to a close like a needle to a stitch. A strong tugging sensation behind his eyes built up to an almost unbearable level, his teeth ached, and his mouth went dry as power surged through his entire body. The rift pulsated once, twice, and then shattered into millions of invisible slivers of power that dissipated into the air. Gasping, Judien stumbled back, a grimace twisting his face. "What did you _do?_ "

" _I_ did nothing. The credit is yours." The elf said, a smile on his face as he gestured to the mark. Judien rubbed his wrist unconsciously as he observed the elf. Adorned in common furs and leathers, a pack and staff slung over his shoulders, and half of a wolf's jaw hanging about his neck on a leather thong, the elf was clearly an apostate. An apostate that Cassandra seemed to approve of, at least, if her non-aggression to his presence was anything to go by. He exhaled slowly, closing his eyes for a brief moment before asking, "Not mine. You mean this... _thing_ on my hand, yes?"

The elf nodded in acknowledgement. "Yes. Whatever magic opened the Breach in the sky also placed that mark upon your hand. I theorized the mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened in the Breach's wake--and it seems I was correct."

"So that's how she knew it was similar," Judien murmured to himself as Cassandra walked up to the elf, words already forming on her lips. 

"Meaning it could also close the Breach itself...!"

The elf gave a little noncommittal shrug. "Possibly." The elf turned to Judien, hands clasped in front of him as he regarded the human prisoner. "It seems you hold the key to our salvation."

"Good to know!" The dwarf cut in, a smile on his face as he adjusted his greaves. "Here I thought we'd be ass-deep in demons forever." He bowed slightly at the waist. "Varric Tethras: rogue, storyteller, and occasionally unwelcome tagalong." He ended with a wink at Cassandra, who scowled darkly at him in response.

Judien's lips quirked up. He always did appreciate the witty ones. "So, either the Chantry has gotten greatly inclusive while I was stuck in my lovely little cell, or you're either a prisoner like me or a mercenary."

The elf chuckled, head canting to one side. "Was that a serious question?"

"Technically I'm a prisoner, just like you." Varric began, inspecting the dirt on one gloved finger. 

Cassandra interrupted him, perhaps attempting to forestall any embellishments on the dwarf's part. "I brought you here to tell your story to the Divine. _Clearly_ that is no longer necessary."

Varric responded cheerfully without missing a beat. "Yet, here I am. Lucky for you, considering current events."

Judien smirked and slightly tilted his head in greeting. "It's good to meet you, Varric. My name is Judien Trevelyan: rogue, hunter, and occasionally suspect for the destruction of the entire sky."

Varric grinned. Cassandra looked heavenward as if to ask for divine strength. The elf shook his head at the last, lowering his head to hide a smile. "You may reconsider that stance, in time."

Varric clucked his tongue and shook his head, an expression of exaggerated regret on his face. "Aww, I'm sure we'll become great friends in the valley, Chuckles."

 _Chuckles?_ The elf mouthed incredulously. Cassandra started forward, walking with furious intent towards the unflappable dwarf. " _Absolutely not_. Your help is appreciated, Varric, but..."

"Have you been in the valley lately, Seeker?" Varric interrupted, shaking his head as he motioned towards the destruction all around them. "Your soldiers aren't in control anymore. You need me."

A sour expression washed over Cassandra's face. She let out a disgusted noise and turned away, raising her hands as if to wash them from the entire situation. The elf tactfully broke the almost-awkward pause, tapping himself on the chest as he smiled genially at Judien.

"My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions. I am pleased to see you still live."

Varric pointed at Solas and said, "He means, 'I kept that mark from killing you while you slept.'"

Judien looked at the elf--Solas--in a new light. Here was someone who might help him discover the origin of the mark, who might help him divine some more answers from this fucked up situation. "You seem to know a great deal about it all."

"Unlike you, Solas is an apostate." Cassandra said, stretching out her shoulders.

"Technically," Solas said gently, "all mages are now apostates, Cassandra." He looked at Judien and continued, "My travels have allowed me to learn much of the Fade, far beyond the experience of any Circle mage. I came to offer whatever help I can give with the Breach. If it is not closed, we are all doomed, regardless of origin."

"A commendable thought," Judien replied. Solas smiled at him before turning to Cassandra, a serious expression on his face.

"Cassandra, you should know: the magic involved here is unlike any I have seen. Your prisoner is no mage, but I find it difficult to imagine _any_ mage having such power."

Cassandra nodded briskly. "Understood. We must get to the forward camp quickly."

"Well," Varric sighed as Cassandra and Solas picked their way carefully over the debris, "Bianca's excited!"

Judien laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Varric. :')


	3. The Chancellor and the Temple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassandra finally broke the silence. "Are you ready to end this?"
> 
> " _I_ sure am," Varric muttered, gripping Bianca close.

"So... did you do it?" Varric asked as they trudged up the snowy incline, his hands shoved into his armpits. All around them were the shattered remains of burnt and blown up carts and crates of produce. All along the mountainside were impact craters where the giant green fireballs had explosively landed, oily gray-green smoke drifted lazily into the sky from these locations.

Judien glanced at him sidelong, and answered the dwarf warily. "... I don't remember."

Varric snorted, an amused look on his face. "That'll always get you. You should have just made something up."

"That's what _you_ would have done," Cassandra snapped, annoyance making her voice sharp.

Varric shrugged, completely unrepentant. "Hey, if lying keeps you alive, is it wrong?"

"Of course it is! Better to die an honest man or woman than to live life as a deceitful snake!" Cassandra scowled. 

Varric looked incredulously at her. "Seriously? Even if it was just a little white lie?"

"Any lie is unacceptable one. I have neither the desire nor the inclination to take part in such a distasteful activity." Cassandra replied, her expression grim.

Solas remained silent.

After a short, awkward pause, Judien smirked. "You take your title as the Seeker of _Truth_ much too seriously, methinks."

Cassandra shot him a _look_ and ignored him in favor of bulldozing through a particularly thick layer of snowfall. "We are nearing the bridge. In just a few moments we shall meet Leliana and the rest of our forces at the forward camp and see what we can do to fix the Breach. In the meantime, perhaps you should learn how to use that mark of yours as best you can before we have you flinging more unknown magic at a monumental tear in the Veil."

"You say that like anyone would actually know how to use this thing," Judien said flatly, flexing his left hand as he did so. The prickling feeling of needles poking at his left palm hadn't completely abated, leaving his hand feeling strange and almost... detached. It was as if his hand didn't quite fully belong to him anymore... Judien shook his head to rid himself of such thoughts.

Suddenly Solas was walking next to him, perfectly matching his pace as he held out a hand towards Judien's own left. Solas raised an eyebrow. "May I?"

Judien shrugged and pulled off the leather glove covering his left hand and let Solas inspect it. Solas' fingers were cool against his skin, his long and elegant fingers probing every inch of his palm as his eyes scanned his hand for any fluctuations in magic or ripples in the Veil. Solas tapped the faint green glow of the mark with an index finger, a pensive look on his face. "Hm."

"Hm?" parroted Judien, eyebrows raised. "Was that a 'ah yes, I know exactly how this thing works and/or how to remove it' or was it a 'nope this remains completely mystifying and you're probably going to die in five days' kind of _hm?_ "

Solas looked at him in amusement before dropping Judien's hand. "Neither. The mark seems to have completely fused with your hand. It is neither under nor on top of your skin--it simply is. Interestingly enough, you can only see it when held at a particular angle, or when the sun hits it directly. I don't know what that means, but I'm fairly sure you're not going to die."

Sighing, Judien pulled the leather glove back on before saying, "I guess 'fairly sure' is the best I can ask for at this point."

"Hm," Solas repeated, and then quickened his pace to catch up to Cassandra.

"So what's the verdict, are you gonna live?" quipped Varric as he appeared out of nowhere.

"I guess? Solas said he was _fairly sure_ it wasn't fatal..." Judien heard the telltale crackling of the Veil tearing open and looked up to see a pulsating mass of glowing green crystals floating ominously in the air. Soldiers were screaming at them to help as they attempted to stop the demons from breaching the bridge gates. Cassandra was already roaring her impressive battle cry as she charged headfirst into a hapless wraith, followed quickly by a blast of cold ice magic from Solas. "... but at least it can help out with those... things."

"Hm," Varric grinned, slinging Bianca into his arms as a shade hissed menacingly in their direction. "Well then. After you!"

Judien rolled his eyes.

* * *

High Chancellor Roderick took one look at Judien's approaching form and slammed his fist angrily down on the wooden table that served as a hastily cobbled together war table. He glared fiercely at Judien and pointed an accusing finger at his face. "I want him chained up and taken to Orlais at the earliest convenience! Get that _murderer_ out of my sight immediately!"

Leliana regarded the High Chancellor coolly, hands clasped behind her back. "You do not order us around, Chancellor. We are the Right and Left Hands of the Divine, and have the authority to deal with the prisoner as we please."

"Without a Divine to be Hands _to_ , your titles have little to no power anymore, spymaster!" Chancellor Roderick spat before he whirled around to jab his finger at Judien again. "I want him gone, Seeker! Gone!"

Cassandra breathed heavily through her nose in frustration. "Chancellor, we believe that this man can close the Breach in the sky. As such, we need him with us in the final assault on the Temple of Sacred Ashes."

Chancellor Roderick's eyes bulged. " _He_ can close the Breach? He's the one who opened the damned thing in the first place! He could cause untold amounts of further destruction and unleash even more horrors upon all of Thedas! No. No, I simply cannot allow you to take such a risk!"

"Allow?" Cassandra hissed, eyes narrowing. Chancellor Roderick took a step back unconsciously at the ferocity in Cassandra's gaze. "You do not allow me to do anything, Chancellor Roderick. You hold no authority over me. By the Divine's own blessing I am given the power to deal with the prisoner as is my will, and I will him to come with us and attempt to end this nightmare once and for all! Even you, with all your bluster and outrage can see the need for all of this to end as quickly as possible!"

Chancellor Roderick shook his head, scowl still firmly in place. "Yes, yes, I know all of this. But can you guarantee me that he is harmless? That the abomination on his hand will not simply doom us all to a quicker end?"

"Thedas _burns_ , Chancellor!" Cassandra shouted, hands curling into fists. "What does it matter if we die today or weeks from now? If we do nothing, if we do not take this chance, we are all doomed anyway! We have undeniable proof that the mark on the prisoner's hand can close the smaller rifts--with some effort, perhaps the first and greatest one can close as well. We must take that chance. I, for one, will not stand by and do nothing when the call to action burns through my veins. So get out of the way, Chancellor, for I have a duty to fulfill."

Cassandra and Chancellor Roderick glared at each other hotly before Leliana calmly intervened. "Very good then. A course of action is decided: we take the prisoner to the Temple and attempt to close the Breach. But another question remains: how do we do so? We could take the mountain paths... they are quicker, but the more treacherous."

Cassandra huffed and turned from Chancellor Roderick before shaking her head in the negative. "No, Leliana. The scouts you last sent are missing, we haven't heard from them in too long. I propose we simply punch through the enemy line with our forces in a straight shot to the Temple. Then we can guarantee that the prisoner and his mark make it to the Temple in one piece."

"But the mountain paths are most assuredly faster--either way there will be casualties." Leliana tapped her finger on the map spread out across the table. "But perhaps with the mountain path we can minimize them... use the armed forces as a distraction, and instead of a full-frontal assault where we would have to commit, have them pull back when needed. We only need a small window of time..."

"A small window of time to get lost or fall down the slippery mountain paths and thus doom us all to failure." The Seeker crossed her arms, a grim frown on her face. "No, I think not."

The two Hands looked at each other for a long moment before turning as one towards a startled Judien. Leliana looked at him appraisingly before nodding. Cassandra spoke. "What do you think we should do?"

"Me?" Judien asked, before his mouth quirked up into a wry smile. "Well will wonders never cease. You're asking me for my opinion now? Is this a dream?"

Cassandra looked at him, unimpressed. "Enough with the quips. As you are the one we need to get to the Temple, and as we two clearly cannot decide, the decision lies with you: the mountain or the clearing?"

Judien squinted at the giant glowing green tear in the sky before glancing up the mountain path. That way _was_ faster, that was true, but it was also closer to the Breach... Judien then glanced at the path to the clearing where he could faintly hear the sounds of swords clashing and wraiths screeching. The clearing provided a guaranteed route to the Temple but would force the soldiers into a sustained, potentially fatal combat against unknown enemy numbers. Well, there really wasn't any choice then was there? 

Judien sighed before pointing up at the mountain. "Anyone up for a hike?"

Cassandra jumped into action, tightening her greaves as she made her way towards the mountain. "Leliana, call everyone in the valley. We will meet at the Temple post-haste!"

The Chancellor scowled at them darkly as they passed, shooting an especially acidic look at Varric when he tipped his head in a snarky salute. "I hope you know what you're doing Seeker. On your head be the consequences!"

Cassandra said nothing, but the sudden tightness of her shoulders revealed all.

* * *

"Go to the Conclave with your siblings, he said. It'll be good to expand your horizons, he said. You'll get lots of important experience in negotiation, he said! Oh I got _experience_ all right." Judien muttered, shaking shade residue off his boots in disgust. The freezing cold air of the mountain caves chilled him right to the bone, the layers of leather and cloth doing nothing to protect him from the penetrating fingers of the wind. He wrinkled his nose at the still moist patch of demon blood on his knee, irreparably ruining the expensive Antivan leather of his trousers. Damn.

Behind him, Solas and Varric were inspecting the state of their (ruined) clothes with much the same reaction. That last fight had been unpleasant, to say the least. The bodies that the spirits had inhabited had clearly belonged to long-dead corpses, and the rancid _squish_ that they had made upon impact had splattered their clothes with rotten blood and flesh. Eugh. Cassandra seemed to be unaffected by the state of her armor, and she merely wiped the length of her sword on a cloth before sheathing it and stepping out of the caverns.

Glancing mournfully one last time at the wet patch on his trousers (a gift from his mother on his last birthday) he sighed and followed her out. He shielded his eyes from the harsh glare of the sun reflecting off the fresh snowfall as he emerged into the light. Solas's sharp voice sliced through the crisp morning air as he pointed urgently to their far right. "Cassandra!"

A sickly green, pulsating mass of crystals hovered menacingly over a terrified group of scouts as they attempted to fight back the horde of demons emerging from multiple rips in the veil. They moved as one, sprinting as fast as they could, drawing weapons as they went. The captain of their squad must have seen them coming because she hailed them in evident relief. "Seeker! Thank Andraste you've come! We can't hold them off much longer--"

"You don't need to!" Cassandra roared, ripping through the demons like wet tissue. Her arms glowed with a bright blue light as she slammed her sword point down into the ground. A blast of negating magic washed through the clearing, demons shrieking in pain as their flesh sloughed off their dessicated bones and an oily smoke rose from their burning bodies. Solas sent them further into confusion with a well-timed lightning strike that arced and bounced off their bodies while Varric peppered them with an unending stream of bolts from his trusty crossbow. Judien leapt onto the crumbling stone battlements and held his hand up towards the Fade rift in an action that was already feeling familiar to him. Energy fizzled and crackled before leaping in a ribbon of green magic, tethering itself to the edges of the rift and sewing them shut like suturing a wound. The pressure building behind his eyes--a pinching feeling much like squeezing into a boot three sizes too small--wasn't nearly as intense as it used to be, and soon the rift was entirely closed, the only indication that it had ever been there the faint smell of decaying flesh and ozone.

Judien flexed his hand as the captain of the scouts came up to greet them properly this time, naked curiosity in her eyes as she looked at his left hand. He raised an eyebrow at her when their eyes met and the scout blushed in embarrassment. Coughing slightly she turned to Cassandra and spoke. "Thank you so much for your assistance Seeker. I thought for sure that we would have been lost."

Cassandra nodded. "It was no problem, captain. However it was the prisoner's decision to come up here, not mine. He is the one you should be addressing your thanks."

The captain smiled brightly at him, and stuck out her hand. "Well then, I thank you, ah..."

"Judien Trevelyan, at your service," he said, bowing slightly as he shook her hand. The captain beamed.

Cassandra shook her head. "Captain. Return to Leliana at once--we march on the Breach."

The captain snapped to attention, saluting as she spoke. "Understood. Scouts! Back to the Nightingale!"

The scouts leapt to attention, some a little slower than others due to their wounds, and left, their feet swift and nimble over the mountain snows.

"A fan of yours?" Varric murmured in an aside. Judien shrugged.

"Come," Solas began, following after the scouts. "The Breach beckons."

* * *

"Maker..." Judien breathed, eyes wide as he toed his way carefully past the skeletons of those who had failed to escape the destruction of the Temple. He forced himself to not stop and inspect each and every one in hope of discovering the fate of his missing brother and sister. (In truth, it was this same hope that prevented him from doing so. To come upon the bodies of his siblings like this... the thought was too much for him to bear.)

Grimly, Cassandra began, "Yes. The ones nearest the center of the blast... their bodies were completely destroyed. We may as yet never discover the true number of those dead at the Conclave..."

The party remained silent as they finally made their way to the center of the Temple. As one, their eyes were drawn to the ribbons of green light tying the central rift to the rip in the sky. A massive cluster of the Fade crystals shifted and grew high above their heads. Above it, some thousands of feet away was the Breach. Beyond it, if Judien really strained, he could see phantasmic shapes writhing and morphing behind the thin tendrils of the torn Veil. His averted his eyes, afraid at what he might discover there. He looked up and saw Solas watching him intently, as if watching for his reaction to something. The elf said nothing, and turned away at his questioning glance.

Cassandra finally broke the silence. "Are you ready to end this?"

" _I_ sure am," Varric muttered, gripping Bianca close.

Judien sighed. "I hope you have a plan to get me up there, because there's no way I can reach it from here."

"No," Solas said, eyes firmly on the sky. "This rift was the first. Should we close _it_ , we may close the Breach."

"It's the only plan we have," Cassandra said, and looked at Judien expectantly.

Cracking his neck in preparation for what was sure to be a highly unpleasant experience, Judien's mouth twisted into a weary smile. "So it has to work. I understand."

"Hm." Cassandra said, approval in her brown eyes as she gestured for Judien to walk. Complying, Judien's eyes roamed over the cracked and blackened stone of the Temple, brows furrowing as he noted red shards of... _something_ scattered over the ground.

The group came out from under the tunnel-like remains of what used to be a majestic hallway into a semi-clearing where giant red spikes thrust upwards from the ground. Beside him, Judien heard Varric inhale sharply. "Cassandra, you _know_ \--"

"I do," she said, cutting him off as she marched by the spikes almost in defiance of their presence. Judien watched in interest as Varric edged carefully around the red spikes as if terrified of even having the very tips of his boots come into contact with the stuff. His suspicions were confirmed when Varric called back to them: "Don't touch this stuff! It's red lyrium and, trust me, it is definitely not something you want to be near."

"Voice of experience?" Judien asked, eyeing the red lyrium. The ominous red glow of the lyrium almost seemed to pulsate like a heartbeat, and there was a strange, high-pitched humming coming from it. Judien had seen his eldest sister Jayen handle the regular blue lyrium as a templar, and it didn't feel any bit like the stuff here. If he concentrated it... it almost felt like... were those _whispers?_ Maybe if he got closer he could--

A hand clamping down on his wrist in a vice-like grip broke him from his trance. Judien's head snapped around to see Solas' eyes boring seriously into his own. Belatedly, Judien realized that he had leant dangerously close to the red lyrium, his left hand outstretched as if to touch the pillar of red. He jumped back, startled, and not a little afraid of how lost in his own head he'd been. Solas released his wrist after a long moment, as if to make sure he wouldn't go running back towards the lyrium as soon as he let go. 

"Careful," he said in a quiet voice, his mouth pressed into a tight line. "The lyrium here... it hungers."

The elf went silent after that ominous statement, and Judien swallowed thickly. _Magic_ , he thought as he weaved his way deftly through the remainder of the spikes of lyrium towards where Cassandra and Varric had gone, _is a strange and unknowable creature._ He glanced back once to see Solas staring at the red lyrium, a furrow between his brows as his hands clenched into fists. Solas looked up to see him watching him, and his face smoothed into a small smile.

"Worry not," Solas soothed, stepping beside him and urging him to walk. "It is not something you need concern yourself with. Focus on the Breach. It is the more pressing danger."

 _The more pressing, yes,_ Judien thought quietly as they approached Cassandra and Varric, _but perhaps not the most deadly._

It was then that he noticed Cassandra's face was white with shock, her mouth partially open. She whipped around towards them when she noticed their approach and demanded, "Did you hear that voice?"

"What voice?" Judien asked, the image of red lyrium firmly stuck in his mind.

" _Bring forth the sacrifice._ "

Judien winced, his hand coming up to his head as the faintest flicker of memory came and went in his mind. "Ugh!"

"That one," Varric said grimly.


End file.
